2016 Kia Forte problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (43) · Vehicle Speed Control (12) · Power Train (11)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Forte model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
60 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Latches/Locks/Linkages:trunk Lid:latch 2021-08-09 · campaign 21V622000 · 253,074 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.
Service bulletins (122)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Service Brakes 2026-07-18 · SC238_OWNR_501 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign: owner renotification (sc238 flight #501) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting a voluntary service campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace brake line(s) in certain 2014-2017 my forte and forte koup vehicles that were originally
Structure:body 2026-06-09 · CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition: cylinder protector & decal installation (cs2311) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provi
Structure:body 2026-06-08 · CS2312_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin prov
Engine 2026-03-25 · PI2105_OWNR_501 · Other
product improvement campaign: owner renotification (pi2105 flight 501) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting a product improvement campaign to perform a software update on 2016 my forte and forte koup vehicles equipped with 2.0-liter gdi engines to protect the e
Structure:body 2025-12-19 · CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other
customer satisfaction campaign: postcard owner renotification (cs2311) - this document is the owner renotification advising that kia is conducting customer satisfaction campaign. kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced ignition cylinder protector hardware upgrade and can be installed at the ignition
Structure:body 2025-12-18 · TSB_CS2312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: customer satisfaction: theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector and decal installation (cs2312) - this bulletin provides information to install a theft deterrent ignition cylinder protector on certain 2010-2022my kia vehicles outlined on page 19, which may not have bee
Showing the 6 most recent of 122 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-03 · Exterior Lighting“the headlights and all exterior lights flicker or turn off entirely while driving, especially when touching the multi-function turn signal stalk to signal a turn. this can and has happened when the headlights are switched on any mode: marker lights, headlights, or auto. i can be driving, headlights are on auto - suddenly - all headlights/exterior l…”
2026-08-31 · Engine“im getting denied dued to engine failure but whoever had the vehicle before didn't follow up with the ksds update, i just purchased the vehicle on june 30th,2026, i need this fixed asap because i still owe on this car.…”
2026-08-21 · Insert, Padding“when i have the windows down, i can see the headrest flapping in the wind. i took the cover off and discovered that the styrofoam had broken in half. i used foam adhesive to bind it together. once again, windows down and the headrest is still flapping in the wind. look underneath the cover and this time the styrofoam is broken into multiple pieces.…”
2026-08-10 · Engine“my 2016 kia forte had a recall that was never performed and i was never told anything about the car fax or any recalls from where i got the car from, it needs a engine repair.…”
2026-07-19 · Engine“car runs fine at lower speeds. when traveling over 50 mph for ten minutes or more, then decelerating or stopping in traffic or at a stop light it stalls. it cranks right back up after you put it neutral and turn the key. we’ve almost been rear ended twice since this started. the car has only been driven about 3000 miles a year over the past 7 year…”
2026-07-13 · Fuel/Propulsion System“vehicle won't intake gas. cod p0451, p0456…”
2026-07-01 · Unknown Or Other“unknown it makes a ticking noise check engine light came on and oil isn't low. recently bought it. …”
2026-05-26 · Engine“this forte was not neglected and it was not abused. nearly 90% of its miles came from highway commuting and interstate travel. it was completely stock, never modified, never driven hard. more importantly, it received fully synthetic oil changes every 3k-4k miles since new, well ahead of what kia or the oil manufacturer even recommends, because i in…”
2026-04-16 · Electrical System“instrument panel lighting and radio lighting flicker constantly while driving. when the headlights are on, the headlights will also turn and off on their own, constantly. because of this, i can not drive this car at night, in the early morning, in the rain, or whenever my headlights are needed. from what i've surmised, the issue seems to be the mu…”
2026-02-28 · Unknown Or Other“while driving on i-95 at 60mph the car began to jump as it attempted to shift gears and the speed stalled to where it slowed down to 20mph and would not go any faster. the car slowed while i was in the fast lanes of the highway and i had to work my way to the right to the slower lanes to avoid abusing traffic congestion or any accidents. it was sca…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.